Huawei Honor 8C Review: Shocking Camera with Big Battery

Huawei’s Honor budget lineup showed off a new phone called the Huawei Honor 8C, which can be a good phone with its own characteristics in the price range of $140.

Agree with me that a Snapdragon 632 processor and a large display of 6.26 inches with the notch, with 4 and 32 GB of memory, or 4 and 64 GB of memory are a good choice for such a low price.

From the beginning, Honor has set a benchmark for entry-level and middle-class devices. Recently, the model range with different versions for China, India and the international market is a bit confusing, but now finally the international version of the Honor 8C is available and has arrived.

We have tested the phablet for several weeks for you in everyday life and carefully examined.

But is everything as good as looking at the specifications? What is the trick of the manufacturer? Let’s begin our full review and go through the specification.

Huawei Honor 8C: Specifications

Huawei Honor 8C:

Specs

Display:

6.26 inches with 1520 x 720 pixels

CPU:

Snapdragon 632 Octa Core 1.8GHz

GPU:

Adreno 506

RAM:

4GB

Internal memory:

32/64GB

Memory extension:

up to 256 GB

Cameras:

13.0MP + 2.0MP main and 8MP front camera

Connectivity:

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band,3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS

Battery:

4000mAh (5V/2A)

OS:

Android 8.1 (EMUI 8.2)

Connections:

Micro USB slot and 3.5mm Audio Jack

Weight:

167 grams

Dimensions:

157.2 x 76 x 7.9 mm mm

Price:

$140

Huawei Honor 8C: Design and Appearance

Due to the 19: 9 format of the display and the vertical arrangement of the cameras in the iPhone look, the Huawei Honor 8C looks modern in our analisis.

Extravagant design elements but one searches in vain. Except for the camera, the backside is almost identical to that of the Honor 8X or Honor 10 Lite.

The design looks very sophisticated. All radii and edges are thoughtfully dimensioned and flatter the hand and the eye.

The volume rocker and the power button have no play and do not wobble.

The uniform gap dimensions and the plastic back cover emphasize the high-quality impression. The device makes noises when shaken or knocked.

Only the display looks a little bit setup and the extra edge between the display and the frame looks a bit cheap and bothers you when you pick up the device.

On the other hand, the plastic edge should minimize the risk of glass breakage.

In addition, the surface of the case of Huawei Honor 8C is a bit too slippery. Especially with small hands, this increases the risk of falling.

The display edges are very wide for current conditions, but they do not make the device so clunky.

The placement of the power button is intuitive and comfortable.

At the bottom is next to the mono speaker still a microphone and a micro USB port.

At the top of the phone, you can find out 3.5mm audio jack.

The position of the fingerprint sensor has proven itself and there is nothing to complain about even with the Honor 8C in the test.

In general, the design of Huawei Honor 8C looks good, but it is not unique, but if you think that this is a budget line of phones, then you understand where the price came from.

Here you will not find primary materials, such as a back cover from glass or Type-C port with fast charging. But it’s good that the manufacturer left the audio headphone jack.

Huawei Honor 8C: Display

The Huawei Honor 8C in our test uses an HD Plus display with 720 x 1520 pixels. As a result, there is no lack of sharpness or brilliance.

It is even possible to adjust the saturation and the contrast of the display in the settings.

While this feature is far from comparable to Mediatek Miravision, it is still helpful. The display also leaves nothing to be desired in terms of viewing angle stability.

Unfortunately, the backlight of Honor 8C is a bit too weak. In direct sunlight, sunglasses sometimes make it difficult to read the display.

The brightness is not bad at all, but a little more would have been useful in some situations.

At the top of the display, the manufacturer put a small notch on Huawei Honor 8C, which has several sensors and a front camera. But if you are not a notch fan, then you can remove it from the settings.

The same applies to the coating of the display glass. This is hardened and in our test period, we could find no scratches or the like.

Although the grease-resistant coating ensures that fingerprints can be wiped off very easily, it has a slight impact on the sliding properties.

If the display is a bit dirty, the finger will slide over it very hard. In addition, the coating seems to attract dust, so to charge statically.

Huawei Honor 8C: Hardware and Performance

With the Snapdragon 632, Qualcomm has truly achieved a masterpiece – and Huawei has done everything right to choose this chipset for the Honor 8C in the analisis.

The performance is first-rate and feels like the Snapdragon 636. No wonder: Basically, the chips are identical and differ only in the timing.

The system runs absolutely fluently and games are very rarely minimal jerks to recognize. In everyday life, there is little difference to current flagships.

Even the time-consuming animations when closing apps in EMUI are presented in an absolutely fluid way.

It is also worth mentioning that the device hardly heats up when used, no matter which application.

On the one hand, this is due to the efficient chip, on the other hand, Huawei has also done a great job with the interior design and thus the dissipation of the heat.

Our test copy is equipped with 4GB of RAM. The speed is not exactly intoxicating at just under 7GB/s, but that does not cause any problems in everyday life and still meets the average of the price range.

Even the 64GB of internal memory sets no speed records but delivers a solid performance for the price range. The internal memory can be expanded with a microSD card.

The sensors all work reliably. The fingerprint scanner on the back is very fast and can not be disturbed even by dirty fingers. It is a bit too sensitive about touch.

Apparently, in favor of speed, the scanner is triggered every time it is touched by the skin. If you have your hand in the pocket with your phone, this sometimes causes you to have to enter the PIN code because too many failed attempts have been detected.

Here Huawei should have implemented a corresponding detection via the proximity sensor.

The compass and the other position and acceleration sensors work just as reliably as the pedometer.

Huawei Honor 8C: Software

The Huawei Honor 8C in our test uses the international version of EMUI 8.2. It comes with native support for a wide range of languages and comes preinstalled with full Google Play services.

So you do not have to worry about that anymore. Otherwise, the system is as usual from Huawei clear, pretty and well optimized.

As a special feature of Huawei Honor 8C, it should be noted that you can optionally switch from the conventional on-screen buttons to iPhone-X-like gesture control.

At the bottom of the display, a narrow bar is displayed, which performs various actions by swiping. So you can switch back to the home screen by swiping upwards. Swiping from the page margins to the center is equivalent to the Back button, and if you swipe up and hold your finger there, the multitasking view will open.

This also works reliably but may result in incorrect input when using swipe gestures on the keyboard.

The security patch of the installed Android 8.1 came in the test of December 2018 and malware is found on the device.

Bloatware has also not been installed apart from the Microsoft apps used by Huawei devices.

Huawei Honor 8C: Connectivity

This is where the advantage of the international version of the Huawei Honor 8C comes into its own: LTE support Volume 20 in our analisis.

It is also worth noting that there is a separate slot for dual SIM cards and microSD card separate, that is, you can use at the same time.

In Europe, that means you have good network coverage even in rural areas and you never have to do without the fast mobile Internet.

This is really enjoyable and for many a must-have with a smartphone. The reception is average good and nowhere noticeably worse than with other devices – but not better either.

The wireless module provides support for both bands only 2.4GHz. Again, the reception is average but could be better.

However, we noticed that the connection to a network is very fast. That’s amazingly comfortable.

In keeping with the times, the chipset in Huawei Honor 8C already supports Bluetooth 4.2.

The GPS module works reliably but is a bit slow. A fix takes a few seconds more than you would expect from other devices.

This results in a delay in starting navigation. In general, the reception but also in rooms in order and also here a fix can be obtained – just with a certain delay. Both tracking and navigation can be used without restrictions.

Huawei Honor 8C: Sound

The speaker of the Huawei Honor 8C in the test is unfortunately not the strength of the phone. This is not a problem in that it is not completely bad and that is not necessarily a killer feature of a smartphone, but still, the sound is not a feast for the ears.

Unfortunately, the depths are missing almost entirely here. This is much better known from other devices (including Xiaomi). The mids and heights are acceptable and also quite loud.

Overall, it sounds rather uncomfortable. For videos with speech, this is less noticeable, but in music, the defect is conspicuous.

The connection of Honor 8C via the jack and Bluetooth is good on both transmission paths and of high quality. Remarkably high is the level at which the output takes place.

There is no reason for complaint here. The noise-canceling also works and the voice quality when making a call is very good.

Huawei Honor 8C: Camera

Without a good camera, no smartphone sells anymore. Especially the trend towards the dual camera seems to have prevailed and of course here also Huawei does not deviate from the rule.

The Huawei Honor 8C uses dual sensors on the back, which are supposed to provide a good depth effect. Although the second sensor does not provide optical zoom, the bokeh effect is remarkable.

But that is certainly also due to the advertised AI effect, which should additionally ensure good image quality here. In any case, the secondary sensor on the rear panel is not a fake – which you can expect in the device category but also.

In the automatic mode of Honor 8C, the images usually produce well-exposed images. Only when very different lighting conditions appear in a subject, the camera is not very clear.

The HDR mode triggers quickly and is best used in automatic mode. The software reliably chooses the best setting.

The bokeh mode of Huawei Honor 8C we see with mixed feelings. With the help of the second sensor and the software, the camera recognizes very well what is in the foreground and what is not.

The blur, however, is a bit strong and often more like a blur. The difference between foreground and background is partly unnaturally strong.

At night, of course, the Huawei Honor 8C can not work miracles. In low light, the picture quality is surprisingly good. In the dark, although quite strong image noise occurs, this is well optimized, so it does not interfere.

Especially in the twilight, the pictures look natural and brilliant. Although the aperture of the main sensor with f/1.8 is not overly large, the software optimization seems to work well here. The flash is enough for small and medium-sized rooms but is not helpful outdoors.

Unfortunately, the Huawei Honor 8C is less suitable for selfies. The quality itself is good, but the front camera does not reliably detect the lighting conditions.

The pictures are usually overexposed and especially when you wear bright clothes in the sun, the camera comes from the concept. Skin looks too white in bright sunshine.

The portrait mode of the front camera recognizes the contours very reliably – but here purely by software. It is pleasing that the front camera has its own flash or LED lighting, but only works with a maximum of two people. For large groups, the brightness is insufficient.

Huawei Honor 8C: Battery

The battery is certainly one of the great strengths of the Huawei Honor 8C. The 4,000mAh battery in cooperation with the efficient hardware ensures a runtime of at least two days.

Even with intensive use of videos, games, many background services, and mobile Internet usually more than 50% residual charge remaining at the end of the day.

As a quick charge technology, the Huawei Honor 8C supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3. The supplied charger is not compatible with this.

This only charges with 5V and 2A. But even so, the battery is charged from 20% to 100% in about 2 hours. If you want it even faster, just buy a QC3 charger for a few extra Euros.

Huawei Honor 8C: Conclusions and Reviews

The Huawei Honor 8C is the new line for the middle-class phones in our review. Although not all details are perfect, for a price of about $140 for the version with 4GB RAM you get a really great overall package.

The design is not very exciting, but the workmanship at a high level. The display may be a bit too dark but is otherwise satisfactory.

But above all, the performance of the system, the camera, and the battery make the Huawei Honor 8C the perfect companion in everyday life. The few criticisms can be corrected by software.

But if you want a stylish and modern phone with a good processor for little money, then it will be a good choice, since Huawei company bears great responsibility for the quality of its products.

Huawei Honor 8C: Price and Where to buy cheaper?

As I wrote in my other articles, I always recommend buying in Chinese stores, as it is cheaper and in some cases, you can even get a good discount.

This Huawei Honor 8C phone, you can buy at a low and good price for only $139.66 for version 4 and 32 GB, if you want more memory then you should pay a little.

In general, for a small amount of money, this is a good one, or even I would say the best choice for today is for a Huawei budget phone.